Blockers: Teen sex comedy feels predictable and done before

Blockers

Is the teen sex comedy genre still going on? Ever since Porky’s and American Pie made this particular type of genre so popular, Blockers is the latest movie to try to bring it back. Kay Cannon, the writer of all the Pitch Perfect films, makes her directorial debut with a raunchy comedy produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg called Blockers. It focuses on a group of parents finding out that their daughters have made a pact to lose their virginity on prom night and trying to stop them. Sounds familiar? That’s because it is… You probably have seen this premise in other comedies that have come out before in theatres.

The main problem with Blockers is that it’s really predictable. You know exactly how the movie will start, and you know exactly how it’s going to end. There’s no surprise whatsoever, and it really takes you out of it. The film is not supposed to take itself seriously, but it’s not a good enough excuse for the audience to feel like the entire premise is so easy to predict from start to finish.

If you want laughs, you’re probably going to enjoy some of its funny moments. Some scenes are gut-bustlingly funny, but most of them heavily rely on gross-out humour. Some of the jokes are absolutely hilarious, and some of them just fall completely flat. It really depends if you like to get your laughs from teenage girls constantly talking about how they want to lose their virginity as soon as possible on prom night. The more they keep using raunchy jokes for the sake of it, the more it becomes kind of exhausting to sit through. Not only that, the last act of the film feels very rushed, and you can tell the screenwriters are trying to find a way to wrap things up as quickly as possible.

Blockers

The only true redeeming quality of Blockers is that it features a very talented cast such as John Cena, Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz, who play the parents. Ike Barinholtz steals every scene he’s in, and he’s the most likeable character in the movie. The rest of the actors are also functional in their role, however you’re not going to think that they’re memorable characters. The three teenage girls played by Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Gideon Adlon, have good chemistry with each other, but you can’t deny that their dialogue is very clichéd. When they talk, it can be very irritating at times.

Blockers is an enjoyable watch if you have nothing to do. Even if it’s predictable from beginning to end, it does have some fun laughs, but some jokes just feel messy and aggravating. The cast, especially Ike Barinholtz, will keep you entertained for sure, but just make sure you know what you’re in for. If you want to see a raunchy teen sex comedy about three girls wanting to lose their virginity on prom night, you will probably have a fun time with the movie. If not, save your cash. Other comedies with the familiar premise have done it better.

Blockers is now playing in theatres.